Recently, Hugh Hewitt dedicated his entire three hour radio program to a monologue (first time in his 12 years of radio) listing 100 reasons to vote for Mitt Romney for president and to reject Barack Obama. These 100 reasons begin here:

1. Mitt Romney believes in a second American century. He believes in American exceptionalism and that the 21st century should be the second American century.

2. Mitt Romney is a very good man with a great heart and a big vision for the country. He has character, which matters most in the office of the President.

3. Romney is a turnaround specialist. He knows how to prioritize tasks. This contrasts with President Obama’s disinterested approach to the failing economy.

Photographer Unknown

4. President Obama is the least generous political person in recent memory at the national level. Never have we had a president who is so ungenerous to his opposition.

5. President Obama is the most partisan president we’ve ever had. We have always passed big laws in this nation with bipartisan support. On Obama’s biggest initiatives, he has had no Republican support.

6. Obama’s attack on Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan put together a comprehensive budget and invited the opposition to sit down and talk. The President proceeded to summon the republicans to the oval office, put Paul Ryan in the front row and taunted him, challenged him, and behaved in an unpresidential way. He is not presidential when it comes to his opponents. He is a street fighter, bitterly partisan.

7. Remember the statement, “I won”; when, after the President’s inauguration, the republicans in the house met with him and offered ideas how to proceed in a bipartisan fashion and he replied to them, “I won.

Well, the final Presidential debate will be over in less than 24 hours.

I’m sensing a certain level of stress among some Romney supporters in the lead up to this debate. Sure, it’s human nature to feel anxious just before a big event … especially when we are so invested in Mitt’s success. But I’m not nervous one bit, and here’s why ….

Governor (soon to be “President Elect”) Romney has much more to gain than to lose in this debate. It’s Obama that has the tough job tonight. The non-incumbent challenger generally has a low-bar to clear in these debates. They only have to 1) show that they can credibly be Commander-in-Chief and 2) avoid major gaffes. Mitt has shown that he is more than capable of achieving this based on his first two debate showings.

Much of the “who won the debate?” game is about expectations. Obama was widely expected to be a superior debater/communicator, and it was a race-changing event when he lost the first debate so dramatically. This set up debate number two, where Obama had reset his bar down to the floor. As such, many observers felt that he “won” the second debate (by a much narrower margin than the 1st debate, and more on style than on actual issues according to polls). But the President’s “win” was really more of a “most improved” award … we’ve seen no bounce in the polls for him at all.

Conventional wisdom is that Obama is supposed to trounce Governor Romney tonight, since the topic is Foreign Policy. The problem for Obama, is that his supposed foreign policy superiority is already “baked into the cake” of his poll numbers/support. Obama’s problem arises from the fact that his foreign policy successes begin and end with “Bin Laden is dead.” Sure, that’s a HUGE point, but it’s sort of hard to talk about THAT for 90 minutes straight. And no voter is going to change his mind to vote for Obama on this issue. “Hey yeah, Obama got Bin Laden … I had forgotten that. I guess I’ll vote for him now.”

The debate will give Mitt an opportunity to, once again, unexpectedly impress voters on the depth and breadth of his international experience and knowledge. The media have painted him as a lightweight on foreign policy, someone out of his depth. Mitt can and will highlight his substantial foreign exposure through his public, private, and religious experiences.

The wildcard issue for tonight is Banghazi … and not in a good way for Obama.

Despite the President’s higher foreign policy numbers in general, this recent Ohio poll (that was even a +8% Dem sample) showed Mitt UP 49%-47% on the question: “Do you trust Barack Obama or Mitt Romney more on the issue of Libya?” Mitt did miss an opportunity to fully expose Obama on Libya in debate #2. Don’t expect a replay of that tonight …

The editorial board at Pueblo Chieftain, a print and online news source for the southern portion of swing-state Colorado, today endorsed Mitt Romney.

Excerpts:

It’s Romney

We didn’t endorse Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy four years ago, but after he was elected we congratulated him on his victory and expressed our desire that his presidency would be successful.

But soon after his inauguration, it became clear that his talk of “post-partisanship” and governmental transparency was just that: talk.

…

There has to be a better way, and Mitt Romney is pointing to that way. He has outlined a pro-growth package of initiatives that can get this country humming again.

Here, in a nutshell, are the five basic elements of that package:

…

Cut the federal deficit by reducing federal spending below 20 percent of GDP. “You’re not going to get entrepreneurs to go out and start an enterprise . . . unless they realize we’re not headed to Greece.”

Champion small business by cutting taxes and regulations, and by overturning ObamaCare. “We need small business to grow. . . . Small businesses have been crushed these past four years.”

Then there are the looming crises of Medicare and Social Security. Even Vice President Biden admitted Thursday night they can be sustainable only into the foreseeable future.

Gov. Romney, along with vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, has charted a course to protect current and soon-to-be retirees with full benefits, while restructuring how those two programs can be financed without breaking the budget.

In short, seniors or soon-to-be seniors can rest assured a President Romney won’t pull the rug out from beneath them.

…

And that’s why we urge our fellow Americans to elect Mitt Romney the 45th president of the United States of America.

1) God and Pro-Israel language had been taken out of the Democratic Party Platform
2) Prime Minister Netanyahu had requested a meeting with him
3) His Ambassador/Embassy in Egypt had put out an apologetic tweet on Sept 11th which emboldened Muslim terrorists

Are you kidding me?!?!? He’s either a convincing liar or totally asleep at the wheel … #WeCanDoBetter

This election could be nearly 50 percent decided well ahead of November 6th! [see graph below] How many days are left to vote? The ticker on the right side bar of this site shows 55 days. Wrong! North Carolina started voting last week. Wisconsin voters start voting in nine days. The all important Ohio and Florida states begin voting in 21 days! How many people voted early in the 2008 race? 40 million! That is a whopping 33% of all voters and the number of early voters increases significantly each election cycle. Check this graph from today’s WSJ:

The largest change in the shape this year’s vote will come from the rapid expansion of early voting—the process that lets voters cast ballots before Election Day. Thirty-five states now offer early voting, and the share of the vote cast early is certain to rise this year. In 2008, some 40 million people, one-third of the electorate, voted early, Mr. Gronke said.

The early-voting season is just starting. North Carolina, site of the Democratic convention, went first, with mail-in ballots becoming available last Friday.
[…]
The Romney campaign also is pushing supporters to vote early. Republican officials estimate that 75% of the votes in North Carolina, 60% in Florida, 57% in Iowa, and 60% in Nevada—all battleground states—will be cast before Election Day. “There’s a plan in place, and we’ve taken a methodical approach to build our support” through early voting, said Rich Beeson, Mr. Romney’s political director.

[emphasis added]

The runway is a lot shorter than many people think! Now is not the time for complacency. We can rest on November 7th. We need to grab an arm on the right and one on the left and go all out for Governor Romney now.

American Values: “In God We Trust” — “Liberty” — “E Pluribus Unum”

Twitter Follow: @VicLundquist— Dedicated to all members of The United States military and their families

The magnificent lady in red, Ann Romney, waves to a roaring crowd prior to delivering her speech at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. August 28, 2012 (Photo – Harry E. Waker)

Wow! Offff the charts!

Amid deafening applause, the lady in red, Ann Romney, walked on stage last night at the Republican National Convention and RAISED THE ROOF! Her electrifying, heartfelt speech elicited immediate glowing reviews. Here’s just a sample:

NBC’s Brian Williams: “A Sweeping Job…” WILLIAMS: “Emphasis on well-delivered. That was a sweeping job at that speech.” (NBC, 8/28/12)man

CBS’s Bob Schieffer: “Wow. … That Was One Heck Of A Speech.” SCHIEFFER: “Wow. Just what you said, that was a speech. … That was a fine speech. She took her own life, she took personal anecdotes and welded it into a presentation that made the point she wanted to make. … That was one heck of a speech.” (CBS, 8/28/12)

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos: “A Love Letter To America’s Moms.” STEPHANOPOULOS: “She said her theme was love. It was a love letter to Mitt Romney, to be sure. But also a love letter to America’s moms. And that is how she started, Matt Dowd, basically telling all those moms out there, I feel your pain.” (ABC, 8/28/12)

NBC’s Tom Brokaw: “Mrs. Romney Made A Very Strong Case, Not Just For Her Husband But Also For Why He Ought To Be President.” (NBC, 8/28/12)

CNN’s David Gergen: “In 2004, Barack Obama Was Born As A National Star At The Democratic Convention. Tonight It Was Ann Romney’s Turn.” (Twitter.com, 8/28/12)

Fox News’ Brit Hume: “I Think That Was The Single Most Effective Political Speech I’ve Ever Heard Given By A Political Wife.” (Fox News, 8/28/12)

The Atlantic’s Garance Franke-Ruta: “I’m Not Sure I’ve Seen Better From A Potential First Lady.” “Ann Romney is giving a great speech. I’m not sure I’ve seen better from a potential first lady.” (Twitter.com, 8/28/12)

Tampa Bay Times’ Alex Leary: “Projected Confidence And Warmth…” “The 63-year-old Mrs. Romney — with her five sons watching from a box in the Tampa Bay Times Forum — projected confidence and warmth, attributes that have made her a valuable presence on the campaign trail.” (Tampa Bay Times, 8/28/12)

USA Today’s David Jackson: “A Thunderous Ovation…” “Ann Romney appears on stage to a thunderous ovation, as the video board behind her flashes old family pictures.” (USA Today, 8/28/12)

I was thrilled to watch Ann Romney be her usual dynamic, down-to-earth self as she spoke to 2,286 delegates, 2,125 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories, thousands in the convention center, and a viewing audience estimated at 20 million. It was as if she was having a conversation with America (Luce Fortuno, Puerto Rico’s First Lady, introduced Ann.):

To hear how loud the applause really was as Ann appeared on stage click here (didn’t post this video due to distracting logo stamp).

Five highlights from Ann’s knock-em-alive speech:

1 – Romney’s work ethic:

“But let me say this to every American who is thinking about who should be our next President: No one will work harder. No one will care more. No one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live!“

2 – Romney’s success:

“And let’s be honest. If the last four years had been more successful, do we really think there would be this attack on Mitt Romney’s success?

But as his partner on this amazing journey, I can tell you Mitt Romney was not handed success.

He built it.

He stayed in Massachusetts after graduate school and got a job. I saw the long hours that started with that first job. I was there when he and a small group of friends talked about starting a new company. I was there when they struggled and wondered if the whole idea just wasn’t going to work. Mitt’s reaction was to work harder and press on.

Today that company has become another great American success story.”

3 – Romney’s generosity:

“Mitt doesn’t like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking point. And we’re no different than the millions of Americans who quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their communities. They don’t do it so that others will think more of them.
They do it because there IS no greater joy.”

4 – Why Mitt Romney is the right choice:

“This is the man America needs.

This is the man who will wake up every day with the determination to solve the problems that others say can’t be solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair. This is the man who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little less hard.

I can’t tell you what will happen over the next four years. But I can only stand here tonight, as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an American, and make you this solemn commitment:

This man will not fail.
This man will not let us down.
This man will lift up America!“

5 – On women:

“I’m not sure if men really understand this, but I don’t think there’s a woman in America who really expects her life to be easy. In our own ways, we all know better!

And that’s fine. We don’t want easy. But these last few years have been harder than they needed to be. It’s all the little things — that price at the pump you just can’t believe, the grocery bills that just get bigger; all those things that used to be free, like school sports, are now one more bill to pay. It’s all the little things that pile up to become big things. And the big things — the good jobs, the chance at college, that home you want to buy, just get harder. Everything has become harder.”

As Colorado alternate delegate Todd King exclaimed, “People in the audience were staring at the screen, looked like they were hanging on every single word she said. I’ve not seen that with any other speaker.”

Outstanding, Ann! Just outstanding.

UPDATE Aug 20, 2012 – I thought you’d like to see some of what our neighbors to the north think of Mrs. Romney’s speech. Here is Alex Pierson and Brigitte Pelleren from SUN News in Canada (Ms. Pelleren was reporting from Ottawa):

Pelleren: Finally! We have a woman’s issue-oriented speech in which we’re not just talking about, you know, our reproductive organs.I mean, we also have brains. We also have hearts. We also have – think about the budget, we look about expenses, we try to make things work for, you know, the home, the children, and the grandchildren. I mean this is a common eperience for women.
…Really, this relates to the experience day-to-day of a lot of women in America and I thought this was a very, very good speech.

William Temple (center), in colonial dress, and other Tea Party supporters cheer at the Tea Party Unity Rally at The River at Tampa Bay Church ahead of the GOP National Convention. Aug 27, 2012
(Photo – Robyn Beck/Getty Images)

Last night, several notable “Tea Party-ers” gathered for a “Unity Rally” at The River Church here in Tampa. The list of speakers was impressive and some of the headliners were Neil Boortz, Herman Cain, Michelle Bachman, Pam Bondi, and Rebecca Kleefisch.

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch (who, like Gov. Scott Walker, got to run and win her office/term TWICE!) did a great job energizing the crowd for the Romney/Ryan ticket (1 minute video below).

Herman Cain was his usual entertaining self and used some of his time to show how hard he’s willing to work for the future of our country by making sure that Obama doesn’t serve another term. He said he doesn’t feel spurned by not getting a speaking slot at GOP convention; that he favors time for younger ABCs (American Black Conservatives) like Mia Love.

I’ll bet you didn’t know there was an MRC TV, did you? Neither did I. But one does exist!

NBC’s Meet The Press Sunday gave us two very short clips; one of Mayor Rudy Giuliani calling out the mainstream media for a double standard and calling Vice President Biden “dumb.” Following Giuliani’s remarks, Peggy Noonan made the same point but effectively calling Mr. Biden “stupid.”

Both videos combined are only about two minutes long:

Can you imagine what the mainstream media would do with Governor Romney or Congressman Ryan if they had made the same kinds of comments Vice President Biden did?

American Values: “In God We Trust” — “Liberty” — “E Pluribus Unum”

Twitter Follow: @VicLundquist— Dedicated to all members of The United States military and their families

Three days ago, Kimberly Strassel’s weekly column from the Journal nailed it. The piece is titled, Why Republicans Can Win. At the time this MRC post was published, there were 159 really interesting comments at the WSJ article indicating the Democrats are seriously worried about this debate! I love it! Here is the last paragraph from Strassel’s excellent column:

This fear, this fundamentally changed political landscape, does not guarantee a Republican victory. But what it does promise is that if the Romney-Ryan ticket stays on offense—if it can fight to a draw on entitlements and leverage the powerful economic argument—then it has every shot at the White House.

As Paul Ryan would say: “Game on!” or “Bring it on!” or “We welcome this debate!”

So in thrall is the Beltway crowd to its received beliefs that it has missed this (minor) point: America looks nothing like it did even four years ago. The political landscape has been upended. And that is why Republicans can win this year.

As they have been winning. Those who insist the GOP loses when it talks entitlements have yet to explain Mr. Ryan. True fact: You can’t be the House Budget chairman without having won an election. That’s what Mr. Ryan has done, seven times, in a competitive Wisconsin district that contains senior citizens, independents and party moderates—and that voted Obama in 2008.

Kimberly A. Strassel (source: economics.wsj.com)

Save for his first run, he’s never earned less than 63% of the vote. And he’s done that by taking the entitlement fight to his opponents.

Ah, say the pros, but even Mr. Ryan couldn’t win an oldster state like Florida. Senior citizens will flip out. So they said in 2010, when Marco Rubio, in a debate with opponent Charlie Crist, suggested raising the retirement age and altering benefits to preserve Social Security. “Rubio just lost Florida!” screamed the Twitterverse.

Well, Sen. Marco Rubio is still talking about entitlement reform today. As are Republican Sens. Ron Johnson, Pat Toomey and Rob Portman, who beat Mediscare in swing states in 2010. As are dozens of House freshmen who ran on Mr. Ryan’s budget.

They won because something fundamental has changed in the electorate. Our country has been through recessions before. What it has not experienced is an administration that used an economic slowdown to spend America into a debt crisis. The debt numbers are today so extreme ($16 trillion, 70% of GDP), the consequences so real (credit downgrades, default), that voters are scared.

As Messrs. Obama and Biden continue to smile and swirl and squirm in their attempts to scare seniors and other Americans about Governor Romney’s plans to preserve Medicare, just refer back to Strassel’s simple logic and reasoning here. In the meantime, R&R will be taking it to O&B aggressively and relentlessly until they square with the American voter, or more likely, keep running from press conferences and experienced, serious reporters! I love it! Watch ’em do the dance.

Add to this the creeping nearness of an entitlement explosion. Social Security payouts already exceed revenue. Medicare could be bankrupt in eight years. In a 2011 Gallup poll, 67% of Americans agreed that Social Security and Medicare would create a financial crisis within a decade. Voters are willing to have this debate.

Then there’s the other dramatic political change, more recent: Voters for the first time have an honest entitlement choice. Democrats have for years claimed that the choice was between the status quo and GOP cuts. Then they passed ObamaCare. In doing so, they put themselves on record with their real plans for Medicare.

The president’s Affordable Care Act uses Medicare as a piggy bank, stripping today’s program of $716 billion. And the law’s way of dealing with the ensuing Medicare shortages is to empower a group of 15 individuals to make decisions on what medical services will need to be cut. So how does the Democratic Party intend to fix Medicare? Cut Medicare dollars, ration care. Now we know.

It is this Obama Medicare plan—not the status quo—that Republicans are running against. It is against this that they are contrasting Mr. Romney’s proposal to restore that $716 billion, to preserve existing benefits for those 55 and above, and to give younger Americans more options and continued quality care.

There is only one candidate gutting Medicare today: Mr. Obama. There is only one candidate who will preserve Medicare for future generations: Mr. Romney. That comparison is striking, and it blows up conventional wisdom.

In a Rasmussen survey this week, Florida voters were asked, “When it comes to the future of Medicare, which scares you more: President Obama’s health-care law or Paul Ryan’s proposal?” By 48% to 41%, Floridians were more scared of Mr. Obama’s $716 billion cut. And Floridians age 65 and up? By 54% to 34%—a 20 percentage-point difference—Florida seniors feared most an Obama future.

Democrats may not have good ideas, but they aren’t blind. They’ve felt the shifting landscape, lived through 2010, and they understand the threat of a bold reform politician.

That’s why Mr. Obama has personally spent such time the past two years publicly working to isolate and discredit Mr. Ryan. He’s not thrilled by the Ryan pick, oh no. He fears it.

[emphasis added]

Would you like another clue as to why we may win in November, with your help? Guess what happened in these key swing states last year? [Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina and Pennsylvania] What is your guess? 825,000 Democrats left the party and went Independent. Guess where Independent voters will likely go? Usually to the challenger, especially when the incumbent POTUS is not working and has done a terrible job in the saddle. For details, read this. R&R are excited as they should be. We need them to stay on offense, keep increasing the intensity, and never let up!

American Values: “In God We Trust” — “Liberty” — “E Pluribus Unum”

Twitter Follow: @VicLundquist— Dedicated to all members of The United States military and their families

Active duty military personnel cannot speak out against deplorable practices of the executive branch of The United States of America. However, veterans, friends, and former intelligence operatives of America can speak out on their behalf. They are doing so now.

[This editorial is the sole opinion of its author and is not intended to represent the opinions of any other person or entity]

Every branch of The United States military was involved in the operation that ended the reign of Osama bin Laden, as were many men and women of the intelligence services. It is they to whom this post is dedicated.

Normally, MRC would not post a video longer than a few minutes. I made an exception due to the importance of the message of this one. I don’t believe most Americans understand the grave nature of what President Obama has allowed to occur from the White House. Please watch this video, especially the last half (see caption below they symbol of the Navy SEAL at bottom).

Quote from the video:

“If we tell a **** terrorist we are coming to get him, how we find him, who is coming, how we are going to do it, me or some of my friends are going to die.” (~ Anonymous SOF Operator)

The extent to which President Obama exploited the bin Laden operation first came to my attention in February upon reading a powerful op-ed by former Navy SEAL, Leif Babin (see post here). I have been researching the extensive leaks ever since. Later this video was produced by a veterans group denouncing President Obama for his glory run.

DUTY – HONOR – COUNTRY

The men and women of our armed forces and intelligence services, by oath, place their lives ahead of self interest and are committed to lay down their lives to save those working next to them and for their country. President Obama also gave an oath to protect the Constitution of The United States of America. It is obvious that by consistently allowing senior White House officials to leak methods of operations and other classified secrets for political gain, Mr. Obama is no longer fit to be Commander in Chief. For he alone has reduced his standing to pedantic politician. His motives are purely political now. Evidence: Since Labor Day 2011, he has spent virtually no time attempting to do his job as POTUS; rather he has been campaigning or resting (golfing) from his campaign ever since.

A true leader gives all the credit to those he or she leads. A true leader takes full responsibility for his failures under his charge. President Obama has done neither of these. President Obama is not a leader and never has been a leader in the classic definition of that word.

Thousands of dedicated women and men of America’s armed forces and intelligence services were involved in the bin Laden raid. I believe the caption below typifies the state of mind of these, our patriots, and all American service members:

Humility: The Trident is a symbol of that humility. In the Trident of a Navy SEAL, the majestic eagle has his head bowed. Without humility, the Navy SEAL knows he cannot learn. Without humility, the Navy SEAL in all likelihood will die on the battlefield. Humility helps them to learn and live to their full potential.